Peperomia has about 1700 varieties. Here we will discuss the common care problems you can face while caring for a.k.a baby rubber plant. It is also known as Pepper face and American Pepper Plant. This variety is one of the succulent types of Peperomia .

Reasons for Drooping If your peperomia leaves are wilting, the cause is either over-watering which is rotting the roots, or it is ​ under-watering which is drying out the succulent leaves. ​ In an underwatered case, you may also see crispy tips on the leaves

Reasons for Dropping leaves If you see that your Baby Rubber Plant is shedding leaves, the reasons can be less humidity, change of location, over watering, over fertilization, scale bugs or air draft.

Peperomia Obtusifolia aka Rubber Plant prefers higher humidity so try to keep it in your washroom as it has higher humidity or use a humidifier. If you see scale bugs, spray some neem oil. If you think the leaves may be falling off because of the cool air drafts due to opening and closing doors, try to move them from their location. It is also important to acclimatize the movement of the plant in terms of the light. For example, if it was receiving more light, change the location gradually to lower light.

If you think all the above causes do not fit your case, then the only reason why your peperomia is dropping leaves is because it is growing and while growing, it sheds the lower and old leaves to focus the energy and growth on the new foliage.

Causes of Curling Leaves If you peperomia leaves are curling, it is either a calcium ​ deficiency because of over watering or the white mealy ​ ​ ​ ​ bug infestation. If it is a mealy bug, you can easily get rid ​ ​ of them. If you think these two causes are not likely the ​ problem in your case, then it is very likely that the plant has been over-fertilized. ​ ​ How to revive an overwatered Baby Rubber plant  If you have overwatered your Peperomia, and the plant is still in the wet soil, 1. Remove the plant from the pot 2. Remove any rotted parts of the Plant from the roots 3. Repot into new dry soil

Pests & Diseases裂 Caterpillars, Aphids, Whiteflies. You can easily get rid of ​ these pests and diseases. ​ How to Water Peperomia should be watered when the top soil goes absolutely dry which on average would be about once a week in room temperature if you have kept your peperomia indoors.

The best way to know when to water Peperomia is to by just picking up the pot and if it feels too light, it needs to be watered. If it feels pretty lightweight and doesn’t seem to have moisture in there, you can plan to water.

You can also do the classic finger test where you stick ​ ​ your finger and see if 1-2 inches of the topsoil has dried out completely before giving it more water. If it's still moist, don't water it.

Pro Tip: Better to be on the side of under-watering than ​ ​ ​ over-watering. Most of the can recover from severe under-watering but die if over-watered. Sunlight Requirements ☀ Peperomia prefers bright indirect light. If you have an East or West facing window, keep it close to the window. If you have a South facing window, keep it further away from the window. They don’t need much light and grow well on grow lights as well.

Note: Make sure you don’t keep the plant very close to the ​ glass window, as it can intensify sun rays and burn the leaves. Too much direct sunlight will burn the leaves

Soil No variety of Peperomia likes its roots too wet. So the soil for the baby rubber plant or any Peperomia variety should be well draining. Don’t use peat as it retains water. 1. Cacti Soil 2. Extra Perlite 3. Bark and Clay Pot should be well drained with multiple drainage holes. ​ ​ Water should not be withheld in the pot at all. Also, place some rocks in the pot first so they drain all the water well, without losing soil being drained from the holes. Fertilizer Use an all purpose fertilizer once a month twice a year during the summer when it is the growing season.

Temperature and Humidity  ​ ● Ideal temperature is between 55F to 80 F (12 C to 26 ​ C). ​ ● Peperomias prefer humidity but are tolerant to low humidity in air.

Repotting Peperomia varieties including the baby rubber plant do not mind being a little bit root bound. So they don’t require re-potting that often. Propagation

Peperomia can be propagated using a cutting or stem cutting, and they can be propagated in soil or water.

Cut a leaf with its petiole (stalk that attaches the leaf blade ​ ​ to the stem) and place the petiole in the soil or water in indirect sunlight. You can also cut the leaf with a leaf node when propagating a baby rubber plant.

If propagating in water, change the water every week. If propagating in soil, keep the soil moist but not too wet.

In six weeks, you will see long healthy roots grown from the cuttings. Once the roots have grown enough, pot them in a pot with a well draining soil.

Peperomia and Cats / Dogs☠ ​ Peperomia Obtusifolia is non toxic to children, cats and dogs.

Flowering ​ Peperomia Elongata and Peperomia Blanda are the common types of Peperomia that flower.

Types of Peperomia plants There are more than 1700 species of peperomia that ​ ​ grow in various geographical areas of the world. 1. Peperomia Obtusifolia Variegata Another Baby Rubber plant variety that is variegated. If leaves turn brown, it is a sign of low humidity. 2. Peperomia Hope Peperomia hope [pep-er-ROH-mee-uh, HOPE] is a hybrid between peperomia quadrifolia and peperomia deppeana. 3. Also known as Watermelon Peperomia as their leaves look like a watermelon skin 4. Peperomia Clusiifolia Also known as ‘Red Edge’ which looks like a cracker with long succulent leaves. 5. Also known as ‘Rosso’ whose leaves have maroon undersides 6. Peperomia Caperata Luna Red Deep rich color and texture. Needs more water than other varieties as their leaves are much thinner and not succulent. 7. Peperomia Caperata Pink Lady 8. Peperomia Puteolata Also known as Parallel Peperomia. They like to grow upright in pots however, in nature, they are trailing plants. 9. Peperomia Verschaffeltii Also known as Dwarf Watermelon Peperomia. Very Waffly leaves. Needs to dry out between waterings and needs bright indirect light. 10. Peperomia Clusifolia Also known as ‘Rubra’ and is a larger version of the Red Edge, It has iridescent purple edges on the leaves 11. Peperomia Prostrata Very Tiny leaves. 12. Peperomia Graveolens Also known as ‘Ruby Glow’. Very succulent-like structure and cupped elongated leaves. Likes fertilization during the growing season. 13. Ruby Cascade Peperomia

How to buy a Baby Rubber Plant Peperomia is so basic, you will find plantName plants from supermarkets to your nearest nursery. But when you do reach your nearest nursery, Look for the following ​ attributes when buying your plant.

● Green healthy looking leaves (not pale or yellow ​ without any black marks on leaves) ● New growth is upright and not limpy (parallel to the ​ ​ ground) ● FAT firm leaves. Should not be limp-y and thin. ​ PDF Download Download this plantname Care Guide in PDF so that you can easily refer to it offline - whenever you are in need for a reference.